bran·dish (brăn'dĭsh)
tr.v., -dished, -dish·ing, -dish·es.

1. To wave or flourish (a weapon, for example) menacingly.
2. To display ostentatiously. See synonyms at flourish.

n.
A menacing or defiant wave or flourish.

[Middle English brandissen, from Old French brandir, brandiss-, from brand, sword, of Germanic origin.]

brandisher bran'dish·er n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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